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Back No Going Back: a Novel Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Part 1
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. Part 2
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. Part 3
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. Part 4
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. Part 5
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. Part 6
  67. 59
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. 69
  78. 70
  79. 71
  80. 72
  81. Acknowledgments
  82. About the Author
  83. Also by Sheena Kamal
  84. About the Publisher

“Okay,” I say, after a moment. “What time should I be there?”

“Eight p.m.”

I agree to meet him at the doors tomorrow. When I hang up, I spend a good five minutes slumped in Leo’s empty waiting room. Since last night, Nolan had a change of heart. He must have gotten home, considered his options, and thought: “You know what I need? A little adventure in my life. Some light detective work would be nice.”

This is something I’m somewhat familiar with. The amateur detective. I have unintentionally woken the Hardy Boy inside him and now he wants to help. Christ.

But isn’t this what I wanted? Vidal might lead me to Three Phoenix and Dao. So why, then, do I feel so uneasy about this?

It must be Nolan. The way he sounded on the phone. The excitement, yes, but there was also something beneath it. A kind of smugness, maybe. It could be that I don’t like that he’s my only lead to Vidal. It’s hard to trust people in the best circumstances, and it would be a stretch of the imagination to consider this a good circumstance.

But what choice do I have? My background check on Vidal turned up nothing.

It takes me a few minutes to notice the Chopin seeping out of Leo’s office. I didn’t even know Leo was here. The lights are off in the office, and the door is closed. And yet, spilling forth is our death song. It’s a bad omen, this, though I try not to think about it as I walk out into the icy night, a night that is as unlike Vancouver as I’ve ever experienced. It’s so cold out that it’s almost surreal.

17

Whisper and I linger on Vidal’s street in Point Grey. Seb’s town house is several blocks away in Kits and is all but cleaned up, ready to be sold again for an exorbitant price. I’m sitting in a park that takes up an entire block, and Whisper is off-leash exploring. There are almost no passersby, and no children on the playground in front of me. Nobody is walking their dogs. Empty houses line the street, but there are lights on in Vidal’s mansion. The mansion itself is protected by a large stone fence, and there are cameras mounted over the gate.

When I used to live in the basement of the Hastings Street office, at least there were people on the street. They were high, but they were around. There was evidence of lives being lived. Here, the lives—if there are any—are barricaded away. Including Vidal’s.

If he’s even here.

Before I leave, I call Leo to see if he’s at the town house. He slurs his greeting. “It’s late,” I say, not wanting to speak to him like this.

“No, no, I can—talk.”